


Midnattmorder

by sarcasticcherry



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, Annie is repressing her strength because of discrimination in the years she lives, Armin is a weirdo, Attempted Sexual Assault, F/M, Human Annie, I cant promise a good ending, Not Beta Read, Reiner is a chill good dude, Siren Armin, Taverns, it probably gives off Lost Girls OVA but this tavern looks way more aesthetic lol, killer Armin, only a bit of Bertholdt x Annie references, warrior trio are barmen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28633737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcasticcherry/pseuds/sarcasticcherry
Summary: "There was a very specific murders happening in Kristiansand a few months ago.” The man talked in a dark tone. As it was one of the tales that already had an interesting spark in its beginning, Annie peeked at the room through the corner and focused her hearing on him as he continued. “Every night, between midnight and the first glang of the bell, one person goes missing by this time and never comes back alive.” he leant towards the rest of his group as if he was telling a deep secret. “There are no clues, no tracks, no explanations - it murders youngs and olds, riches and poors. And no detectives have found anything useful.”
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart
Comments: 13
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

The Sunday evenings were always a major blast in the local tavern. In the morning, people would fill up the churches, but in the evening, all the same people would blast into the pub, completely forgetting the sins that they were just repentant for. And that’s how it always was. Get ridiculously drunk, start ranting about the politics, drink more of the devil’s juice and then wait for the upcoming Sunday’s prayers again. That was a circle of life for most of the society that could afford a drink there daily.  
Annie could only watch them from further away and pretend to not be able to understand what kind of a mixed place her father’s tavern was. Luckily, the place had quite a strict rules, forbidding any fights and prostitution - she felt safe there. And there were definitely less things to clean up after a long night.  
If people wouldn’t be chilling by the fireplace that offered a warm blimmer of heat, they would be dancing to some local (probably drunk) musicians, causing the bartenders some problems trying to maneuver through the moving mass without spilling the drinks. But Annie, as a bartender who would often slack off the work quietly, would prefer listening to the tales being told by that fireplace. And they were all different… well, mostly about the new taxes settled up by the government and the war situations, but now their subject seemed to be more related… to this town. 

That Sunday, the melodeon music was filling up the air, accompanied by the sounds of dancers’ footsteps hitting the wooden floor and drunk giggles, even from the men. The place was packed up more than it usually was, the moving silhouettes of the guests make the already fragile lights swing to the sides; it was so warm inside, despite the cold night of March. But there was still a inglenook fireplace ready in a separate room with couches and smoke from the guests. How can even the discussions happen without one ready?   
“Your drinks, gentlemen.” Annie served four wooden mugs full of chill beer with a formal manieres she was taught and fixed her eagle gray dress, making sure she didn’t rip it on those sharp edges of the chairs and tables. As she was about to leave, one of the men grabbed her wrist and stopped her from moving.   
“Where are you going, missy? Don’t you want to sit on daddy’s lap for a bit?” the man smirked.  
“Sir, I have a man in my life. Let go.” The blonde girl lied, still talking in her usual low tone. Did they forget the last time when the girl almost broke their noses for touching her bottom as she just tried to do her damn job? They probably were too drunk to remember anyways.   
“Oh? I see no ring.” the man looked down at her clenching fist. “Oh, no need to get angry, missy, just join us~”   
Annie glared straight at his face, no doubt she was gnashing her teeth in annoyance. She sometimes hated working in the tavern. Working in a place like this was considered to be manly and meeting a woman working there had probably somehow attracted several creeps.   
As the blondie was about to try to struggle out more aggressively, a busty young guy threw himself into the room, quickly giving a beamed smile. He was wearing a leather vest and a snow white shirt under it - it must’ve been one of the workers. Before the guests could even react, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, moved the creep’s hand away and laughed.  
“Oh, Ann, there you are!” the barman kept smiling confidently, bringing his flustered short colleague close to him backwards, making her hit his chest with her back. “Need anything else, boys?”  
“Ah, Reiner, just in time, haha.” another man raised his glass with beer, giving a toothy smile for a barman they knew for a few years now. He seemed to be having a lack of one tooth in front. “Could you spare your little friend for us for a few minutes?”  
“Sorry, lads, we need her for work.”   
“Oh, c’mon, just for a minute.”   
“If her father finds out, he won’t reserve you this room for the next Sunday.” he squeezed his friend’s shoulder, causing her to look away, hiding the frown.   
“Alright- but if you change your mind, come here anytime!” the man smirked and gulped half of his drink. 

“Thanks for stepping in.” Annie mumbled as they both were now standing by the wall that was separating that room and the taproom. Her body was used to this kind of night-lasting job, but her mind wasn’t. All the loudness and amount of words always directing her were making her wish to just leave this messy place of the drunkards, but it was still better than just giving birth to piles of offsprings with a stranger. Gosh, she did really have a privilege as a woman to work there. And a damn privilege of having colleagues that would get her out of messed up situations.   
“Anytime for ya.” Reiner squeezed her shoulder before letting go and crossing his arms over his broad chest, whereas Annie fixed her chemise and looked around the busy bar. “Heard anything interesting from them, little spy?”  
“Didn’t have a chance yet - they went straight up for me instead of their beer.” The girl muttered. Reiner laughed and tapped her back playfully, making her raise her eyes at him in confusion. What was so funny?  
“I’m not even surprised, Ann, they got an eye on you since the day they started coming here. But just focus on getting their money now.” Reiner stretched and cracked his knuckles, ignoring his friend’s confused stare. He then stepped to the side and gave her the last look. “I’ll cover your shift for ten minutes but not more. Bertholdt is still not fast enough to deal with such a number of guests.”

With that, the girl was left alone. Even when she was surrounded by dozens of people, she was now alone in her mind world and no one really perceived her existence. Ten minutes… it wasn’t a long time, compared to her shift, but it was enough to hear some fresh news she was kind of forbidden from (even that being considered as a masculine thing). Annie now focused her hearing senses to the room where the men were just getting her first drinks.   
They started talking about their wifes.  
Nine minutes.  
One mentioned Annie and questioned the reason on why she is here.  
Eight minutes.   
A discussion about the yellowish curtains emerged.  
Seven minutes.   
Annie stood up straight and looked at the bar where Reiner and Bertholdt were, rushing their butts to make the orders as quickly as possible. Maybe it wasn’t the day for discussions and she wanted to spend the rest of the minutes productively. But just as she was about to leave and submerge herself in a crowd, the words of the toothless man and his friend’s caught her attention.  
“I’m going for a smoke. Save up my drink.”  
“Seriously, Carl, don’t go there, you know it’s 11:58.”  
“So what?”  
“You don’t know about Midnattmorder?”  
“Since when do you speak in Norway?” the sound of a cup hitting the table had reached Annie’s ear.   
“Don’t ignore my words, you pig. You really don’t know about Midnight killer?”  
“Midnight my ass. Is it some kind of an assassin?”  
“Noone really knows. But there was a very specific murders happening in Kristiansand a few months ago.” The man talked in a dark tone. As it was one of the tales that already had an interesting spark in its beginning, Annie peeked at the room through the corner and focused her hearing on him as he continued. “Every night, between midnight and the first glang of the bell, one person goes missing by this time and never comes back alive.” he leant towards the rest of his group as if he was telling a deep secret. “There are no clues, no tracks, no explanations - it murders youngs and olds, riches and poors. And no detectives have found anything useful.”  
Carl narrowed his eyes before snorting and waving his hand, his other palm being already occupied with a pipe.   
“It’s just a legend. If even Wald couldn’t take care of this shit, then it’s just a campfire tale, that’s all.” he got up and headed towards the exit, mumbling something under his breath.   
Annie stepped back into the murky shadows to not get noticed slacking off and waited for Carl to leave. As he disappeared in a mass of guests, she leant back close to the doorway. The others seemed to stay in silence before one of them talked.  
“You’re not joking, right?”   
“Why would I? I swear with my mother’s life, Wald talked about it himself.”

“Got any juicy information, little spy?” Reiner asked as he saw the girl coming back to the bar, taking the glass and starting to clean the dust away. “You still have two minutes left. Were you that bored, hm?”   
“Midnattmorder. Have you heard of that before?” she ignored his statements.  
Reiner’s usually relaxed face with a grin decorating it now turned to a little frown, his lips setting in a grim line. He took a bottle of cognac and started pouring it into a glass for a client that just came to the counter, keeping his eyes on the dark drink like he was considering if he should say it or not.  
“Yeah. I heard those murders were happening in Norway's seaports between twelve and 1 AM. It stopped but now it started happening here.” the barman talked in a hoarse tone, slower than usually, trying to find the right words for his short friend. “Yesterday they found the traces of a dragged young man that hadn’t returned home for a few days. Right into the sea. And the only remains they found were his floating leg and his head near the surface.” he then looked up and forced a smile while delivering the glass of cognac for the customer and then taking a thaler from him in exchange. “Not like I believe in those spooky stories that much. Don’t get me wrong.”  
“So you wouldn’t mind if I decided to go out now and have a walk?” Annie put the glass down and handled it for Reiner, who just delivered her a wink and a nudge with his elbow.  
“I wouldn’t want you to walk alone at night in the first place. Especially Bertholdt, he would be so upset.” he pointed with his head at the tall barman working near them, who just flustered and looked away, trying to hide his red face.  
“Fair.” She grabbed a new bottle of cognac and looked up at the doors, which just opened slowly.  
The tavern was filled up in this hour and she assumed that it was just Carl coming back from his ranting and smoking session, but it definitely wasn't him. A young male had entered a building with a dark-leather cloak on, hiding most of his blond hair and having a shadow put on his face. Annie watched the newcomer and held her breath. Did his eyes just… were glowing and staring back at hers?  
The woman blinked a few times, now seeing the guy with a cloak approaching the bar. He got mixed in a pile of drunkards dancing but he still seemed to be out of place. Maybe because he was the only one wearing a cloak, or because of a way he walked around, looking so dumbfounded. Even from a distance, Annie noticed how clean his face and hands were, unlike the other guests that were covered with absorbed dirt. A traveller wouldn’t look like that, neither a man that would work in the fields all day. Perhaps it was a noble? But a rich man wouldn’t drag himself into a sketchy place like this, unless he was looking for an assassin.   
He found a free spot right in front of a bar and climbed up on a high chair, letting his long cloak swing loosely.   
“One cup of ale, please.” he spoke up quietly and gently put two thalers on top of the counter, while looking at the barrels placed behind the barmens.  
Reiner eyed him and smirked as he took one thaler and turned around to pour some freshly made dark beer from a jug.  
“Haven’t seen you there before. Are you a traveller by chance?”   
“..Kind of…” the cloaked male muttered and took the mug that the barman just placed on the counter. He looked somehow doubtful at it. He swirled it around, looking at the dark liquid moving in circles in the same direction. Then he chugged but, right after the first gulp, he spit the rest of the drink out on the floor. “Don’t you have… anything weaker?”   
While the beefy barman started guffawing and slammed the counter with his hand, the newcomer didn’t flinch a single bit. He just watched the laughing man and then adjusted his attention to the female, who seemed to be pouring some kvass from the jug and offering a glass for him. She was glad she made this drink just in case these kinds of situations have occurred.   
She stared at his eyes for a bit longer than someone would normally do. Did they just glow for a split second again..? Or maybe she was just getting tired after all these hours of working.   
“You’re in a bar, newbie. The only ones that are sober are the people doing their jobs.” The girl said and put more weight on one leg, relaxing her posture.   
The stranger looked back at her as she spoke, seemingly examining her lips as the words left her mouth. He gulped some kvass and once she turned silent over again, he gave the woman a soft smile.   
“This drink is exactly what I needed, thank you.” the guest with a cloak pushed the second thaler towards her direction and sipped more of his newly-discovered drink. Despite the fact that he could speak in German, Annie couldn’t help but doubt his origins - he talked fluently, yet he paid a thaler per drink. A silver thaler per drink - he could easily get a full barrel of a fine wine, if not more. Or perhaps he was so rich that he didn’t have other places to spend his money on.   
“So, where are ya traveling?” Reiner cleared his throat and gave a softer smile to the cloaked male, who seemed to be very enjoying Annie’s given drink. He knew he had to be kinder for those two silver coins.   
“I’m going through the kingdoms and searching for a good life.” the stranger replied and kept looking around as if he was searching for something.  
“We can offer you a stay, if ya need. We have a free room, right Ann?”  
“Thank you, but I have a job tonight.” the stranger declined the offer before Annie could even inform them about a possible stay. As he put the glass down, Annie fulfilled it in a split second, her hands just moving from a reflex that developed over the years working there.   
“If you change your mind, come anytime. We work until five on Sundays.”  
“Alright…” the stranger furrowed his brows at the last statement and chugged the drink, making a chewing sound once it was finished.   
They stayed in silence, minding their own businesses. The music and laughs were submerging the tavern from the inside, completely contrasting the counter of the bar, where barmen were doing their jobs, taking the orders from sober or already intoxicated people. The cling of the coins over the wooden counter were followed by sloshing of the drinks into the mugs that were just cleaned up. Annie was just checking a small note where she kept information about the drinks they should run out by the end of the night, but she could still feel the eyes settled up on her. At first, she pretended to not care and locked her eyes on the paper, but once the feeling just got stronger and more annoying, she couldn’t tell but to look up, eyes immediately meeting up with the cloaked blond. Mostly, she had a problem gape at someone’s eyes for too long and she would most likely just look away but now her eyes were locked up on the other. Something was strange… really strange. These kinds of things never happened before. Hell, she wouldn’t even look at her father’s face for a long time.   
They were both just looking at each other tight-lipped, before the guest was the one to speak up this time.   
“You must be tired in a place like this.”  
“Excuse me?” The female barman tried to hide her confusion as surprise, that couldn’t help to be caught by a sharp stranger’s eyes.   
“The tavern. You don’t seem like you really belong here.”  
He watched her intensively, noticing how her ice-cold face was turning into a little scowl. The male's intent stare softened down. He moved his hood close to his face and hopped off the chair causing it to squeak.   
“Keep the change, miss. I really appreciate the drink that you offered me.” He beamed and turned around, finding his way towards the exit, his cloak moving smoothly, hitting the sides of the drunktards that he just passed by.   
Annie watched him going to the doors and aiming for the doorknob but the doors opened and a pair of men stormed in. Oh. She recognised them from afar - they were the buddies of the group that reserved that special room with a fireplace in it. The cloaked male let them walk in first and disappeared outside as they got in. The barman rolled her eyes literally and was about to pretend to come back to work, but the panicking voice of one male caught her attention.  
“Carl! H-he’s dead!”


	2. Chapter 2

That was the night when myth became reality. A sickening reality, in fact. All the music in the tavern began to feel somehow unpleasant, the spreading news caused laughter to fade into low murmurs, some Borachios refused to raise their cups of drink any further. Others simply left the building without hesitation, deciding to move their political conversations for the other time.   
Annie had to be glad she had less work to do now, when it came to preparing the drinks. Hell, she'd take any opportunity to be lazy and just rest if her father didn't know about it, but knowing that the loyal patron had died smoking outside the tavern just a few feet from the entrance... that definitely didn't give her a chance for a serene night and a few hours of sleep that she could have before the bells of a nearby church would wake her up again.   
Dawn came much faster than Annie had expected it to. Dozens of minutes of overthinking and listening to the drunken chatter through the night left her with a throbbing pain in her head. And she wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and hope that this whole weekend was just a bad dream.   
As the young woman still doubted whether she wanted to get out of bed, the sun's rays appeared through the thin curtains, kissing her cheeks and sending warmth upon her. Annie covered her face with the thin bedsheets and rubbed her cold foot against her ankle. It was Monday, the day she wasn't even allowed to enter the tavern. Every time the new week began, Father would leave the money she earned in their little kitchen. And the innkeeper's daughter really hoped she earned a hell of a lot for this week - her nerves cost too much, and getting a few shillings wasn't enough.  
"Midnattmorder... you're giving us all a bloody headache, you know." she muttered, remembering last night before forcing herself to sit up. Her eyes fell on the silver thaler she had placed on the nightstand. Father was unaware of the tip the newcomer had left her. She thought about buying something for it. Buying two new pairs of shoes and a cheesecake and some coffee beans for leftovers seemed like an idea she would really enjoy. 

The girl got out of bed and didn't bother to change. Barefoot, with only a linen nightshirt covering her pale body, she found her way out of her room and towards the small kitchen of her house. She felt a shiver run down her spine as the cold floor touched her bare feet. So the stove wasn't warming her up at least a little ... that meant Father must have left without his breakfast. Annie felt a slight wave of guilt for not waking up earlier when she heard the first rooster crow. The man had surprisingly never complained, but as another day had passed, she wondered if the day would finally come and he'd blurt out how ungraceful his daughter was. And, damn it, she feared that would happen one day. She might not be able to resist beating up some creep at night, but she couldn't fight her father. Seeing his disappointed face would be the hardest weapon he would use against her will. There seemed to be an unusual dynamic in her family that the patriarch didn't oppress his daughter as much, but still, Annie would keep telling herself that this life could change at any second.  
As Annie's thoughts were somewhere far away, her eyes immediately spotted something on the tabletop. As she approached it, her eyebrows lifted and she saw a cream colored bergere hat with flowers and ribbons sewn on it and a pastel colored caraco with leaves and flowers sewn on it.  
"Happy birthday, Annie. Please, come back before midnight." That was what was written on a small scrawly note that was on top of the hat. She had definitely forgotten it was her day of the year and how passionate her father was about French fashion (where did he get all those clothes? She had no idea). Her birthday... Now it made sense why Hitch insisted on meeting her that Monday and had no room for any excuses. 

The girl decided not to cook herself a late breakfast, poured some water from the pitcher into the clay bowl, washed her face with it, and returned to her room upstairs. The messy blonde hair was brushed and put into a chignon she had mastered making since childhood. Midnattmorder... My father must have been worried I wouldn't be the next target, Annie thought. This unknown madman has already created an unnecessary tension in this town, people fear the darkness more than the devil himself. It's not like she wanted to spend a whole solar day with her loud friend anyways...   
After putting on her linen dress with a corset underneath, dark stockings to warm her legs, dark shoes, silk fichu, light petticoats, and other necessary layers of clothing, she put on the gifted bergere and coraco on, smiling to herself as she realized it matched her other clothing perfectly. She then put the coins and a silver thaler into her wallet, hiding it in her inside pocket before leaving the house with her key in hand.

Annie spotted a woman in a bright dress standing just outside the gates, impatiently tapping her foot and looking around the area. Beside a bag in her hand she held a white umbrella, whose falling shadow covered her pale skin.  
"Thank God you came, I was beginning to think you were dead," the woman with the umbrella groaned as she watched Annie open the wooden gate and step out onto the street. Although she gave an annoyed look, Annie knew full well that her friend wasn't serious.   
"I thought so too, but be glad I at least showed up, Hitch."   
"Mph." Hitch puffed out her cheeks before heading into town with the shorter girl at her side. Annie lived outside of town, right by the woods, so they had to take some time walking over the hills and through the pastures to get to the town area. "I brought you some fresh rolls from Lorenz's bakery," she added, wiggling the bag in front of the other.  
Annie felt her stomach growl at the sweet smell coming from the bag. She felt rather uncomfortable about not having eaten breakfast, but Hitch brought something better than just some bland bread or oatmeal she would have eaten before the meeting. With a quick thank you, the girl immediately reached for the bag, took out a roll, and bit into half without hesitation, leaving her cheeks and lips covered in crumbs. Not that she minded.  
"Geez, if he saw your eating habits he wouldn't ask you out," the taller girl furrowed her eyebrows.   
"Who?"  
"Wait, he didn't ...?"  
"Who?"  
"Damn it, stop with these who's."  
"Then stop with all this round talking and get to the point."  
"Ugh. All I'm saying is that he was planning on asking you out, and even asked your dad for permission, but I'm guessing he didn't."  
Annie crushed the last bit of bun in her mouth with the second bite and looked back up at her friend, cheeks puffed out.  
"Who?"  
"Are you playing dumb, Leonhart?"  
"No. I can't read your mind, Freudenberg."  
Hitch exhaled quickly through her nose and looked away. Despite all the time that had already passed, she still felt uncomfortable being addressed by her dead husband's last name. She clutched the umbrella holder tighter in her hand and sighed. She's an adult now. This is no time for an immature tantrum.   
"It was Bertholdt. He even asked me for a tip on how to approach your crystal heart, but I see he's still not man enough to do it. I guess he won't come to you until you get gray hair."   
Annie just shrugged and was already taking out a second roll, but before she brought it to her lips, she offered it instead to Hitch, who accepted it without hesitation and ate neatly, brushing off all the crumbs that stuck to her pale skin. Annie watched her nibble on the bun before shifting her gaze to her friend's belly, which was covered by a linen jacket and silk scarf.   
"How's your little one?" She quietly changed the subject and returned her gaze to Hitch's face.  
The woman with the umbrella gulped down the dessert and sighed softly, moving her free hand to stroke her stomach, her expression relaxing and her lips twisting into a faint but sad smile.   
"Oh, he or she will probably miss their daddy a lot. But we'll manage somehow. You, auntie Leonhart, will probably help us, won't you?"  
"Of course."

Annie was glad to live outside the city. Despite the disadvantage of living far from the urban area where most of the merchants and alcohol suppliers for the tavern were to be found, at least here there was less disease, pickpockets, noise, and stench that were too common in the city. Especially the stench. All the stench of manure, rotten fish, and wet mud made the tavern keeper's daughter gag. Oh, and especially the sailors who hadn't bathed in months and who knows how often they washed their clothes? Though that seemed quite normal for a society. Rather, she and her father felt like outsiders who couldn't stand the stench and did their best to find ways to bathe. And that young man in the tavern, so happy to have homemade kvass as he brought a fresh and briny smell of the sea, which actually wasn't so bad... Just the random thought of him made a few butterflies flutter around in her stomach... what the hell was that? She had never felt those before...was that the witch's doing or something?  
"Those buns weren't your actual gift. I bought you something else." Hitch added as the two girls now reached the main street of the town, which surprisingly at least had less of an annoying stench despite the crowds. She noticed the little blonde shake her head and come back to reality from her deep thoughts, not noticing the change in Annie's expression.  
"What is it?" Annie turned her head toward her friend, but as soon as she did, Hitch stopped her, retrieved a copper-colored jewelry from her own pocket, and pinned it to Annie's bodice part of a dress.   
"Stomacher brooch. You should at least wear this if you want to meet a fine bachelor, okay? Because all of humanity is utterly aghast at your lack of sexual appeal. It's not like I can force you to wear it though, it just suits you and..."  
"Thanks, I like it." Annie interrupted her friend and let out a soft sigh as she stared down at the accessory. "While I don't think it will really attract the bachelors, I do appreciate it."  
"You would if you smiled more."  
"My smile would give them a heart attack, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for a murder."  
"Your jokes aren't that funny." But Hitch laughed anyway.

After buying a pair of buckled shoes, the girls headed toward the town square. It was no surprise that the entire square was packed with stalls and vendors shouting as loud as they could, trying to sell their wares. Despite the usual noise that filled the air, something else caught the ear of the tavern keeper's daughter. Music. She recognized the exotic style rather quickly - a set of guitar, violin, accordion, and loud voices singing in a language she couldn't understand... Annie knew it was a caravan of Romanis, probably looking for a good seaport to sell things and make a few pennies.   
Before Annie could even make up her mind, her friend, a true party animal even when pregnant, was dragging her towards the noisy musicians. A few people, mostly young kids and older women, formed a crowd surrounding the musicians. A few couples were dancing to the exotic music, moving as they could, but unfortunately not feeling the rhythm, which made Annie cringe.  
"Don't frown, you don't dance any better than they do." Hitch nudged her friend with her elbow, but didn't expect to get a silence in response. That kind of statement could have made most people want to prove her wrong, but Annie was rather passive about that, so she just kept rambling. "I've noticed they come here every few months, but if they're just selling spices and useless knick knacks."   
"If they still have time to play that much music, maybe the sales there aren't so bad."   
Another "hmph" of outrage left Hitch's mouth, but she didn't protest. Annie was right.   
"Hey." A sudden greeting in a masculine but gentle voice and a touch on her shoulder made Annie stumble in confusion and turn around in a split second. Instinctively, she raised her hands, with two fists aimed at the male, covering half of her face. But what she hadn't expected was the same guy from the tavern, the same guy who couldn't hold her weakest beer. Annie still doubted it was the same visitor - instead of a cloak with a hood on his head, he now wore a freshly laundered shirt with a brown vest. The caramel-colored pants and white stockings matched his neatly brushed light hair and ... his blue eyes. Those soft sky-blue orbs, glowing with life and admiration, belonged to only one man Annie had ever known, no joke. In this daylight and dressed like this, he looked like a handsome wonderboy who'd just stepped out of a fairy tale.   
"Do I know you?" Annie decided to ask instead, receiving only a gentle shake of the guy's head in response.   
"I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself. You're the girl from the tavern, right?"  
"Right." the blonde replied with a skeptical tone in her voice. She looked so fresh and different from the sullen and worn out expression she wore during her shift, with clothes that were just a big, worn mess... she couldn't help but feel surprised that he had, by any chance, managed to spot her in this crowded place. But before Annie had a chance to question it, the wonderboy spoke up again.  
"Just as I thought. I admire your hard work, and I hope you bought yourself something nice with your tip, m' lady," he bowed gracefully and placed his hand on his chest until he stood straight again, his eyes lingering on the woman. "I'm Armin."  
Annie blinked, watching how every move the man made looked so elegant, if that was even possible. He dressed like a middle-class man, but had the manners of a patrician ... Perhaps he worked in the royal palace? She glanced at her friend, who didn't take her wide gaze off Armin. When the two girls' eyes met, Hitch pointed her head at him and mouthed, 'Name, tell him your name.'  
"I'm Annie."  
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Carry for a dance?"  
“I don’t dance.”  
“Ohhh you definitely do, Annie. He asked you nicely.” Hitch claimed in a high-pitched voice, grabbed all of the items that Annie carried and pushed her right into Armin's arms.  
"He definitely doesn't even know this dance." Annie muttered, forcing herself to stand upright again, only now realising that she had been clutching at Armin's vest for support the entire time. She felt her chest grow heavy and her lungs fill heavier as she looked up at his face, but to her surprise he smiled and focused on the music, bobbing his head slightly in the strange rhythm. The innkeeper's daughter released the cloth from her grasp and was about to back away, but he surprised her once again.   
"It's zwiefacher, isn't it?" he looked at the woman and, noticing the surprise on her face, added. "I've seen them in the Bavarian kingdoms. Two pairs of waltz bars and then polka. Then repeat it once again. We can dance like that," he tilted his head in the direction of a few couples who were rather swaying to the rhythm, sometimes missing the beat. "And if you want, we can try to do the actual steps. Unless you don't know how it lo-"  
"I've danced it twice. I know how to do it." Annie interrupted him, to which the male looked at her with sky blue eyes before smiling again and offering his hand. There were no more excuses to back out, were there? But did Annie really want to get out of this situation?   
The two blondes entered the vacant space next to the swaying couples and stood in front of each other. Armin's hand sought Annie's upper back and pulled her a little closer, while the other took her hand gently in his. He watched as the girl in his arms lifted her free hand and placed it on his shoulder, doing her obvious best to avoid any eye contact. The guy couldn't help but think it was cute. Such a stalwart woman with a strong will, working overnight in a dangerous place, and yet she was completely timid when she had to stand close to the man in front of her.  
Armin was the first to start moving once again. His upper body began to sway to the music, speeding up and slowing down as the rhythm changed. He completely ignored the older spectators, who judged them by their looks on their faces, finding it unbelievable how a pair of unmarried youth could touch each other with more than just their fingertips.  
"Let's try it now." Annie muttered, trying to be quieter so as not to be considered against the etiquette while dancing. Not that she had low expectations of her dance partner, but, damn, he knew more than just theoretical information about the origins of a dance. He moved perfectly following the rhythm, the pair swinging and spinning in counterclockwise circles, doing a good job at avoiding bumping into the other pairs. Annie even started to miss the fast moving beat, but that's when Armin surprised her once again (how many times has he done that?). A soft hum has started to fill the air between them, a gentle hold on the woman getting tighter every time they spinned in waltz.   
Annie was doing great at avoiding eye contact, even though she felt his blue globes not leaving his eyes off her face. But somehow the woman felt her muscles being not as tight as before. Her mind was spinning like her body, letting Armin have a complete control over the dance. Her body was reacting to his, every twitch of a muscle delivering a right response from her - every squeeze on her back and a pull closer to the male would instinctively tell her when to her steps quicker, every tightening touch on her palm would lead her to a few quick turns. The sound of his voice… the time he would use this beautiful weapon, she would lose the track of time. And it wasn’t the way to tell it poetically - she really was feeling like getting mesmerized.   
“It’s not the best time to ask that now, but are you busy this evening?” Armin asked after a minute of dance, not letting go off the girl and remaining to move along the rhythm.   
“Oh.” Annie had to blink a few times and take a deep breath to get out of her transe. “No, why?”  
“Then, I would love to offer you a… you know…” Armin’s cheeks started burning and his gaze moved to the side as he talked. That was a perfect time for Annie to examine his face instead. If he was stuttering so much by asking someone out, she could’ve thought that he was a womanizer with a smooth mouth. “There’s a quiet place by the beach, near the town. Would you… want to go and watch a sunset with me?”   
It was strange to receive an offer from a man Annie had barely known. Wasn’t it too quick? But maybe that’s how people got to know each other - staying in a crowd instead of an alone time would distract them from each other, let alone people might spy on them and not allow them to act like themselves. Asking Hitch or Reiner to tag along would also be not the best idea - that would include a lot of teasing and embarrassing stories. Maybe going alone with Armin and staying by the seaport near other people wouldn’t be the worst idea.  
“Alright.” the blonde girl replied, right when the music had stopped, receiving a beam and a flushed face of Armin in response.  
When he finally let go off her, Annie walked towards the musicians and dropped a few coins from her pocket into the hat, only glancing at Hitch once to see a huge grin piercing her lips. With a roll of her eyes, Annie returned to her dancing partner and briefly discussed the details of the upcoming meeting.

And that's how she unexpectedly planned her first ever date with a mysterious wonderboy who seemed to appreciate many things about her that others never noticed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Romani people didn't have a good reputation in 1790s in Western Europe but oh well, it's not a major point of the story.  
> Anyways, this story had to be a quick oneshot, but, well, now I'm continuing it. I'm a slow writer and move stuff slowly, so I apologize if this chapter was boring - I love world building and showing the communications with the side characters.   
> Hint: this romance might be inspired by the way it's written in the novels of 17-19th century that I read in the past. Well, before I start moving into the gory side of the story.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it so far. Have a nice day <3

**Author's Note:**

> It was just a dumb idea in my mind lol. I don't know if I'll continue this, it supposed to be a one-shot but... I guess I left it all out on the cliffhanger.


End file.
